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SolidWorks Software Helps Non-Engineer Design And Test “SuperTruck”

Jeremy Singley is not an engineer. In fact, he doesn’t want to be an engineer. However, thanks to software from Dassault Systèmes (DS)
SolidWorks Corp., he doesn’t need to be an engineer to produce the ultra-aerodynamic tractor-trailer designs he’s developing with other members of the SolidWorks user community.

Singley, owner of
Jeremy Singley Industrial Design, is designing a kit of attachments to make tractor-trailers more aerodynamic resulting in lower fuel consumption. He uses
SolidWorks® CAD and
SolidWorks Flow Simulation software to experiment with new shapes and test the mechanical practicality of designs to ensure they can still turn and maneuver even as they cut through the air more cleanly. A designer with an art background, Singley relies on SolidWorks to provide the engineering insights he needs to refine his designs. He uses SolidWorks 3D solid models to work out his ideas from a design’s inception through production because he thinks and innovates better in 3D.

“I’ve always been a hands-on 3D guy. I skip right over 2D design hand sketching. I used to go straight to the shop and slap together physical models of scrap wood. Now I breathe a lot less sawdust,” said Singley. “I prefer SolidWorks because it’s intuitive to use, and it has its own intelligence. With SolidWorks, the software will frequently override your mistakes or at least give you clear clues as to what you need to correct. I like that.”

Singley has used SolidWorks to design everything from consumer electronics to furniture and lighting fixtures. As such, it was a new and exciting challenge when former trucker and drag racer Bob Sliwa contacted Singley through a SolidWorks user group to talk about a tractor-trailer design. Sliwa, with support from over 20 corporate sponsors, including
CITGO,
Alcoa, and
Michelin, wanted to improve tractor-trailer mileage from today’s six to seven miles per gallon to 15 miles per gallon by reducing drag by 60 percent. The goal of the project is to help design the SuperTruck, the world’s most streamlined rig.

In order to participate in this project, Singley decided to learn SolidWorks Flow Simulation to evaluate his designs’ aerodynamics, though not without reservations. Without an engineering background, he wondered if he could learn the software.